2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio Sport Utility 4d on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Alfa Romeo's new CEO sees room to bring back the GTV and the Duetto

Alfa Romeo is open to reviving the GTV and the Duetto, two of its most emblematic nameplates, in the coming years. Whether either model returns partially depends on how well the firm's more mainstream models sell. "I'm very interested in the GTV. There is no statement or announcement at this stage, but I'm just giving you a personal feeling that I'm very interested in the GTV. I also love the Duetto," said Jean-Philippe Imparato, the Peugeot veteran who became Alfa Romeo's CEO under Stellantis, in an interview with Australia's CarSales. It's far too early to tell what each model would look like with any significant degree of certainty. Besides, we've been here before: in 2018, former Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) boss Sergio Marchionne outlined a born-again GTV with 600 horsepower, some degree of electrification, all-wheel drive, and seating for four when he presented Alfa Romeo's bold five-year plan. That model has been canned, along with a 700-horsepower halo coupe called 8C. Playing it safe, Imparato cautioned that neither two-door has been approved for production. Alfa Romeo's range currently consists of the Giulia, the Stelvio and the 4C, though the latter is a niche model at the end of its life cycle. It needs to achieve volume before executives can begin exploring coupe and convertible options, and we're in a market where the quickest and most effective way to increase sales is to make SUVs and crossovers. The next new addition to the Alfa Romeo range is widely believed to be the production version of the Tonale concept from 2019. "Allow me to bring Alfa Romeo to a certain level of economic performance, and then we speak," Imparato stressed. "In this time of big changes for the industry, the first priority is to protect Alfa Romeo and drive it through the challenges related to electrification, connectivity and safety," he added. Coupes and convertibles will come later. Interestingly, he strongly hinted the reports claiming the rear-wheel-drive Giorgio platform is on its way out are false. In Alfa-speak, the GTV nameplate traces its roots to the Bertone-designed 105-Series coupe released in 1963. It was called Giulia Sprint GT at launch, and it became the Giulia Sprint GT Veloce (which means "fast" in Italian) in 1965. GTV is the acronym that stuck throughout the model's career. Alfa put the nameplate on the coupe version of the Alfetta (pictured), and it added the 6 suffix when it stuffed the 2.5-liter Busso V6 in the engine bay.

Robert Kubica moves from Williams to Alfa Romeo F1 reserve

LONDON — Robert Kubica has joined Alfa Romeo as their 2020 reserve driver, the role the Pole carried out 14 years ago when he made his Formula One debut with the Swiss-based team then known as BMW Sauber. The deal announced on Wednesday also sees Polish oil company PKN ORLEN, who backed the 35-year-old's comeback last season at former champions Williams, become a co-title sponsor of the team in a multi-year partnership. Kubica's big break came in 2006 when he became Poland's first F1 racer, replacing Canada's 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve at BMW Sauber and going on to win with them at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix. The Pole, who suffered a near-fatal rally accident in 2011 that partially severed his right arm, scored tail-enders Williams' only point last year in a remarkable personal comeback clouded by the team's inability to provide a competitive car. He announced in September that he was leaving and has since been replaced by Canadian Nicholas Latifi, the team's 2019 reserve. "I'm starting a new chapter in my career by joining Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN. This is a team that has a special place in my heart and it'll be nice to see the familiar faces I still remember from Hinwil," said Kubica in a statement. "Time and circumstances are obviously different, but I am convinced that I will find the same determination and hunger to succeed." Kubica had also been linked to the Haas and Racing Point teams who had considered him for a role as a tester and simulator driver. Ferrari-powered Alfa Romeo's race drivers this year are Finland's 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen and Italian Antonio Giovinazzi, an unchanged lineup from 2019. Team principal Frederic Vasseur welcomed Kubica, who before his accident raced for Renault and was close to becoming a Ferrari driver, back to the Hinwil factory. "He is a driver that needs no introduction: one of the most brilliant in his generation and one who displayed the true meaning of human determination in his fight to return to racing after his rallying accident," he said. "His feedback will be invaluable as we continue to push our team towards the front of the grid." Alfa Romeo finished last season in eighth place with 57 points. The team said PKN ORLEN branding will feature on the C39 car and all "trackside assets". Related Video:

CAR adds details to Alfa Romeo's five-year plan

Much of this month's issue of CAR Magazine is devoted to Alfa Romeo and what we can expect from it in the next five years. Of course, they unfortunately went to print before FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne died (and it took a while for it to land in my mail box), so certain elements are bound to change in light of new leadership. Nevertheless, there are plenty of interesting tidbits to chew on. First, there are a few more details regarding the Alfa Romeo 8C super car, which was confirmed during FCA's recent five-year plan announcement. Unlike the last front-engined, rear-drive 8C, the new one would be mid-engined with the rear wheels powered by a version of the Quadrofoglio turbo V6 brought up to the 600-horsepower range, and some amount of electrification added to the front axle. CAR indicates a total output of around 800 hp and 660 pound-feet of torque. A carbon fiber monococque would help keep the weight down, and to keep cost down, reporter Georg Kacher posits its production will be farmed out to a third party like Dallara. Both pricing and performance will be interesting with the 8C: how much does FCA want Alfa Romeo to compete with Ferrari? Without Marchionne leading both, perhaps it won't matter. View 19 Photos Then again, how much it wants Alfa to compete with Maserati might, as the future Giulia-based GTV coupe could do just that. Apparently, the coupe and convertible range is intended to compete with the entire breadth of the German two-door catalogue, from 4 Series and M4, to C- and E-Class Coupes. Presumably it'll therefore be more than just a Giulia coupe. Regular, high-performance and plug-in hybrid versions are mentioned. Finally, as was part of the previously announced five-year plan, there will be SUVs introduced on either side of the Stelvio. Apparently, it was originally thought that the smaller of the two would be produced on the cheaper Renegade/500X platform, but that has been nixed in favor of the Giulia's "Giorgio" platform to maintain a higher degree of engineering sophistication. If so, good call. The bigger of the two new Alfa SUVs would also be on the platform, and since it's been rumored that the next Jeep Grand Cherokee will be as well, it'll be interesting to see how similar those two mid-size SUVs will potentially be. There are many more Alfa insights from CAR, but as it's restricted to print and not on their website, we can only urge you to swing by your local magazine rack and pick up the latest issue. They do good stuff.